Home Baked Bread

The last time I baked bread was when I attended a special course on baking at the Asian Baking Institute under Chef Bejar.  As a special student, I got to choose the time and date when I would take the class on a one-on-one basis.  With all the ingredients and equipments at my disposal, my pandesals were perfectly soft, my loaf breads crusty on the outside and soft on the inside and my hopia squares were to-die-for, not to mention my enseymadas, spanish breads and cheese rolls.

This time, using a recipe I found on the internet (http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/11/04/homemade-bread-cheap-delicious-healthy-and-easier-than-you-think/) I tried to replicate my previous success.  To my disappointment my pandesals were compact and my bread was on the heavy side.   I blamed my yeast, which I found out too late, was to expire this month.  And perhaps my rusty elbows which probably needed some greasing.

Both breads were delicious, albeit on the compact side and it made the house smell like a bakery.   I found out there are people who prefer compact breads and some people who prefer the fluffier breads.  I belong to the latter and therefore will continue to experiment until I have my perfect bread.

I find weighing my ingredients more convenient to measuring, therefore I will list the ingredients in both.

HOME-MADE BREAD

60 ml   (1/4 cup)         milk

21 gm   (5 teaspoons) sugar (or 1-1/2 tablespoons)

  5 gm   (1 teaspoon)   salt

21 gm   (5 teaspoons) butter (or 1-1/2 tablespoons)

  7 gm   (2 teaspoons) active dry yeast (or 1 package)

240ml  (1 cup)             warm water

300gm to 420gm (2-1/2 to 3-1/2 cups) flour

cornstarch or nonstick cooking spray (just to prevent the dough from sticking to the pan)

For a detailed instruction with pictures, check out:

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/11/04/homemade-bread-cheap-delicious-healthy-and-easier-than-you-think/

Happy Baking!